3 Ways Influencer Marketing Dominates Traditional Marketing

We’ve all grown up around traditional advertising methods.

Some of us probably even remember songs from commercials from when we were kids. We personally know someone who could still recite the entire phone number of a mattress store because of its commercial tune from the 90s.

Making somebody remember a phone number for 20 years, when people don’t even remember their own mother’s phone number anymore, is a feat that only traditional ads could have accomplished.

But these techniques don’t work on newer generations. Today, people don’t watch TV — they watch Netflix. They have ad blockers downloaded onto their web browsers. They don’t listen to the radio, they listen to Spotify. You simply can’t reach them with traditional marketing tactics.

Not to mention, they don’t appreciate the ads when you do get to them. Nobody likes pop-up ads when they’re browsing the internet.

“Buy me! Buy me!” No thanks. This is called interruption marketing because it interrupts your day. One of today’s most effective marketing methods is word of mouth marketing. And one of the most effective ways to get positive word-of-mouth about your brand is working with influencers.

What Is Influencer Marketing?

Digital marketing has completely transformed traditional media. Less than 3% of young peopletrust traditional news media like TV and magazines. According to a Nielsen study, 92% of consumersare more likely to buy a product recommended by a trusted influencer. Influencer marketing is a collaboration between a brand and a person with influence.

There are different sizes and types of influencers. Most people trust smaller, more relatable influencers. People who would understand them more. Influencer marketing will continue to grow: 75% of marketersare using influencer marketing in their campaigns.

So other than the obvious, what are three ways influencer marketing dominates traditional marketing?

It is more cost effective

Influencer marketing programs cost far less than traditional marketing methods. If you choose to work with nano or micro influencers (also known as the “power middle”) instead of the mega influencers and celebrities, it is an affordable way to reach a large and dedicated audience.Sometimes, it could even be free. If the influencers are already your customers, you can simply offer them free goodies in exchange for an Instagram or blog post. Keep rewarding them tobuild loyalty.

2. Consumers trust influencers

It’s the hard truth — consumers trust recommendations from other peoplewhen making purchase decisions far more than they trust brands. This is especially true if you work with smaller influencers that your customers can relate to.

3. Be present, everywhere

Influencers can reach all the social media channels where people are highly present today: YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram. They have dedicated audiences and will be catering to their niche tastes when they decide to promote your product or service.

4. The Most Authentic Marketing Strategy

At the end of the day, influencer marketing is getting real people to talk about your brand instead of just being that brand boasting about how cool it is. There is no social networking way that is more authentic than getting real people to give real recommendations.